Man Hacked to Death in Clash Between Two Groups in Paschim Medinipur

A man was hacked to death during a clash between two groups in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday night at Hatihalka in the Medinipur Sadar area. The deceased has been identified as Samsher Khan.

Residents of the area said Khan was associated with the BJP, a claim denied by Soumen Tiwari, the party's newly appointed organisational district president.

Some locals alleged that Tiwari's elevation had triggered tension between two factions of the party, which attacked each other with sharp-edged weapons, sticks and iron rods. Khan was allegedly struck with a 'tangi', a sharp-edged weapon, and died from his injuries, they said.

Tiwari said he had heard about the incident but rejected the suggestion that the deceased was a BJP worker. "I have heard that an incident has taken place. As far as I know, the deceased is not a BJP worker," he said.

He alleged that some people were trying to take control of the area following the recent change in the political situation in the state, and expressed confidence that police would take appropriate action.

Some BJP workers demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and said they would not take the body home until the accused were arrested. Several party workers gathered at Medinipur Medical College and Hospital, where additional police personnel were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

BJP district vice-president Ajay Jana said the circumstances that led to the clash would become clear during the investigation.